Today in Patriots History
More April 10 Trivia
April 10, 1972:
Patriots sign two free agents: defensive lineman
John Skladany and receiver
Mike Mikolayunas
Skladany was an undrafted rookie from Central Connecticut. He also spent time with the Washington Redskins, but did not make either team's roster. Skladany did play for the Hartford Knights in the ACFL, Birmingham and Detroit in the WFL, and Ottawa in the CFL. He went on to have a lengthy college coaching career, from 1976 to 2014.
The Official Athletic Site of UCF Athletics, partner of WMT Digital. The most comprehensive coverage of the UCF Knights on the web with rosters, schedules, scores, highlights, game recaps and more!
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Mikolayunas was a wingback and flanker at Davidson who was a 14th round selection by the Baltimore Colts in 1971. He too never played a down in the NFL, and he also played for Hartford in the Atlantic Coast Football League. In 1970 he led the entire NCAA with 87 receptions, and caught 17 passes in one game against Richmond. Mikolayunas was an assistant coach at UCLA when he died in 1979 at age 30.
Davidson College Athletics
davidsonwildcats.com
April 10, 1976:
Pats sign undrafted rookie quarterback
Bob Mitch of Syracuse
Mitch must have been signed for his athleticism, as a potential conversion to another position. At Syracuse he completed 79 out of 204 pass attempts (38.7%), with two touchdowns and 23 interceptions. The project didn't last long; Mitch was released on August 3rd.
SYRACUSE, N. Y., Nov. 17 (AP)—Bob Mitch, a quarterback, scored twice on runs of four and one yards today, carrying Syracuse to a 24‐13 football victory over Boston College.
Syracuse, which now has a 2–8 won‐lost record, took the opening kickoff and marched 76 yards in 16 plays for the first score. Mitch, who ran for 40 yards in six carries on the drive, scored from the four.
Check out Bob Mitch's College Stats, School, Draft, Gamelog, Splits and More College Stats at Sports-Reference.com
www.sports-reference.com
April 10, 1978:
Fullback
Jess Phillips retires after ten AFL/NFL seasons
Jess Willard Phillips, Jr. spent his final two pro football seasons with the Patriots, averaging 6.6 yards per carry and scoring two touchdowns in that time. He was primarily a blocking back on the 1976 team that averaged 5.0 yards per carry. before being rooked by Ben Dreith in the playoffs versus Oakland.
Checkout the latest stats for Jess Phillips. Get info about his position, age, height, weight, college, draft, and more on Pro-football-reference.com.
www.pro-football-reference.com
April 10, 2000:
Patriots release LS/TE
Mike Bartrum, and sign LS/C/G
Lance Scott
Mike Bartrum handled the long snapping duties in New England from 1996-99, and also caught two touchdown passes with the Pats. He spent 13 seasons in the NFL and was named to the Pro Bowl in 2005. Bartrum also played in two super bowls: with the Pats in SB 31 against Green Bay, and with the Eagles in SB 39 against the Patriots. Bartrum was a college teammate of Troy Brown, and for many years ran a charitable kids summer camp at Marshall. Bartrum spent two years as an assistant tight ends coach for Philadelphia, and is now back at Marshall as a senior analyst and special assistant to the head coach.
Bartrum began his NFL career with the Chiefs and finished it with the Eagles; not sure if he had a rooting interest in the most recent super bowl.
Bartrum, another Thundering Herd Hall of Famer (2007), also returned to Marshall Football in 2021. He was the Assistant Tight Ends Coach for the Philadelphia...
herdzone.com
Patriots sign veteran free agent C/G Lance Scott, release TE/LS Mike Bartrum
FOXBORO, Mass. - The New England Patriots announced the signing of former New York Giants free agent center/guard Lance Scott today. In a subsequent transaction, the Patriots announced the termination of the contract of long snapper and reserve tight end Mike Bartrum.
Scott, 28, missed the entire 1999 season after being placed on injured reserve with a right knee injury on Sept. 5, prior to the start of the season. In 1998, Scott started every game at center for the Giants and handled all of the team's long snapping responsibilities. That year, running back Gary Brown rushed for a career-high 1,063 yards on 247 carries, a 4.3-yard average per carry.
Bartrum, 29, handled the long snapping responsibilities for the Patriots for the last four years. He was acquired by the Patriots in a preseason trade with the Green Bay Packers on Aug. 25, 1996. In four seasons with the Patriots, he played in 57 games, almost exclusively on special teams. As a reserve tight end, he made two receptions, both for 1-yard touchdowns against the Baltimore Ravens, once in 1996 and again in the 1999 regular season finale.
Lance Scott appeared in every game from '97-'98 for the Giants, starting at center while also performing on special teams as the long snapper. However he missed all of '99 with a knee injury, and went on IR again before the start of the 2000 season - paving the way for Lonie Paxton to play for the Patriots for nine seasons. Scott never played a down for the Patriots.
April 10, 2013:
Pats re-sign
Julian Edelman to a one-year contract
Jules was coming off a broken foot in December that ended his season, and a two-year contract offer from 2012 was reduced to a one-year deal. In addition the Pats drafted two wide receivers in the first four rounds, challenging JE11 to step it up. As pissed off as he was at the time, the motivation worked. Edelman caught a career-high 105 passes in 2013, for 1,056 yards and six touchdowns.
April 10, 2019:
Pats sign free agent TE
Austin Sefarian-Jenkins
The attempted reclamation project (one suspension, multiple DUIs, at least one stint in rehab) did not last long, as ASJ asked for and received his release less than three months later, citing 'personal issues'. The talented but troubled player never signed with another pro football team. He was arrested for DUI again in 2020, and in 2022 he was arrested for fourth-degree assault, felony harassment and interfering with the reporting of domestic violence.
